Upcoming Exhibitions
It Happened Here: Expo '74 Fifty Years After
May 4, 2024-January 26, 2025
For many in the Inland Northwest, the 1974 World’s Fair remains the single most transformative event in living memory. Radically reshaping Spokane’s natural and built environment, Expo ’74 ushered in a new era for the city - one centered on urban renewal, commercial growth, and political progress. This 50th anniversary exhibition revisits the historical roots of Expo ‘74’s stated environmental purpose and its popular “community spirit” legacy. Incorporating recognizable elements from Expo’s built environment with museum artifacts and archival materials, visitors will engage with the familiar, nostalgic, and perhaps lesser-known stories found within the MAC’s largest archival collection, seeing Expo ‘74 in a new light.
Expo '74 image: NWC 129 – Dormaier, Jacob #164, Spokane Public Library (Jacob Dormaier Expo '74 Collection)
Driving the American Dream: 1970s Car Design
June 15 – September 14, 2024
Highlighting the era of Expo ’74, join us as we wax nostalgic about cars from the 1970s. We’ll consider design trends and changes in the world that ushered in a new age of automaking in the United States. We’ll look with fresh eyes at some of the “funky rides,” classic cars often overlooked but stuck in America’s collective memory. This summer, roll through the 70s with the MAC!
Photo by Cory Komberec.
Woman, Artist, Catalyst: Art from the Permanent Collection
June 29, 2024 – March 9, 2025
Focusing on locally, nationally, and internationally known woman-identifying artists, this exhibition of work from the MAC’s permanent collection will showcase the quality and varied focus of leading artists and art movements in the Inland and Pacific Northwest.
Z. Vanessa Helder, Palouse Rhythm, 1939-1941, watercolor on paper. Gift of Ms. Ruth Thompson.
Joe Feddersen: Earth, Water, Sky
September 28, 2024 – January 5, 2025
Joe Feddersen: Earth, Water, Sky showcases the breadth of the artist’s 40-year career, including printmaking, glass, weaving, and ceramics. Moving fluidly among media, Feddersen has cultivated a visual vernacular that draws upon recognizable signs, symbols, and forms. He transforms the familiar into a world of juxtapositions that confront how we see, use, and treat the natural world. In so doing, Feddersen foregrounds his Plateau-Native viewpoint that values our interconnected relationships in the landscape. From miniatures to wall-sized installations, the exhibition features over 100 works and will be accompanied by a fully illustrated exhibition catalogue.
Joe Feddersen, Rugged Trail 2, blown glass. Courtesy of the artist.